Teeny tiny, itty bitty, eensy weensy. No matter the term, there’s one way to describe the projects featured in Mini Christmas Crochet: adorable! The latest giveaway from AllFreeChristmasCrafts is a little book filled with little projects you can use to decorate during the holiday season.

With this easy-to-follow and fun to read guide, you can create cute little Christmas crochet projects using leftover yarn. Best off all, these projects don’t require a lot of time, so you can make a bunch for the holiday season. Hang a couple of these cute crochet projects on your tree, display them on your mantel or give them as gifts – there are so many possibilities! Kids and adults will love the tiny crochet penguin and the mini Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. In fact, you can make the projects featured in Mini Christmas Crochet and give them as holiday-themed toys!

Each of the patterns in this book includes a step-by-step tutorial, materials list and measurements as well as large color photos. The book begins with a quick introduction and a rundown of crochet terminology for both American and British crocheters. This is a great book for crocheters at every skill level!

Get a jump start on your Christmas crafting and turn your space into a winter wonderland. All you need are yarn scraps, a crochet hook and Mini Christmas Crochet! Before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by adorable miniature stockings, wreaths, reindeer, angels and so more!

The season 5 premiere of the show “Mad Men” is this Sunday and I’m ridiculously excited! It’s been over a year since last season’s cliff-hanger ending and I know the premiere is going to be packed full of drama.

But even if you don’t watch the show (which you should) or have just tuned in a few times, there’s still one big reason why you should be excited about the return of this 1960s-set show.
What’s that, you ask?

Every single episode of this drama is packed with so many amazing retro and vintage outfits, you’ll feel like you’re actually living in 1960s New York. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?!

From Betty’s full skirts to Peggy’s bow-accented cardigans to Joan’s sexy, curve-hugging dresses, the costumes on this show are spot-on period perfect in every way. The fashions are so visually interesting that they’ve inspired a resurgence of retro fashion. Stores like Banana Republic and Brooks Brothers now have their own “Mad Men” inspired clothing collections.

But what if you want to add some retro-vintage “Mad Men” fashion to your closet without going broke? Since we’re all crafty people here, might I suggest making your own vintage-inspired clothes? Plenty of craft bloggers and regular Janes have already started making retro outfits for themselves and are showing them off (and sharing their tutorials and tips) online.

I’ve rounded up some of the best DIY vintage styles I could find, but you should also check out all of the “Mad Men” fashion ideas on Pinterest. There are so many fabulously chic retro outfits you can make!

Betty Draper Inspired Outfits:

This Festival Fancy Vintage Top crochet pattern is actually from 1956 and is totally something Betty would wear, especially with that belt!

This full, gathered skirt is perfect for Betty, who loves showing off her figure with flattering waistlines.

This knit pullover sweater is just the sort of thing we’d see Betty wear on the rare occasion when she’s not out socializing.

Peggy Olson Inspired Outfits:

With its high waistband and big bow, this fitted pencil skirt is without a doubt something Peggy would have in her closet.

This pleated skirt is another item that would be straight out of Peggy’s wardrobe. It’s so playful and innocent and fits her character to a tee.

Joan Holloway Inspired Outfits:

The feminine shape and bold color of this curve-hugging dress are so Joan! Nothing says the fabulous Ms. Holloway like a sexy silhouette!

More Mad Men Fashions:

This playful fitted cardigan is actually named after one of the “Mad Men” characters: little Sally Draper, Betty’s daughter.

After that little retro fashion show, now I’m even more excited for the season premiere (if that’s even possible)! How excited are you?!? Also, if you’re hosting a Mad Men party for the season premiere, be sure to check out these 60s inspired dishes that could have come right out of Betty’s kitchen!

Do you get twitterpated when you see pretty new colors? Is there a horde of crafty yarn patterns online or in your home? When you leave a yarn aisle or yarn shop, have you mysteriously lost several hours? Does the repetitive motion of making loops with bright colors soothe your nerves? If the answer to most of these questions is yes, you obviously have some yarn love. And there’s no better way to express that than to work on some fresh patterns.

Your heart has snuggled itself up in a skein of yarn and there is no escape. Embrace that yarn! Fresh patterns for yarn crafts are in abundance. There are so many amazing crochet scarves to twirl around yourself and plenty of knit shawls to work on your needles. There are dolls and bags to be made and granny square afghans to crochet! Encompass yourself with these simple pieces of yarny goodness. Yarn love!

Knit, Pearl, Love

Strut your stuff in a beautiful knit Peacock Jewel Scarf. This would look exquisite in shades of blue, green, or purple. The same color scheme goes for the Twist and Twirl Scarf which looks like a garland of flowers. And if you’re looking something with a hint of sparkle to it, consider making the Summer Shimmer Scarf.

For the last month, we’ve been counting down the top 10 crochet afghan patterns from December and updating the list every single week. What you see below is the most accurate, definitive list of popular patterns. In December, leaders loved everything from granny squares to baby blankets. Before you kick off 2012, take a look back at the month’s best crochet afghan patterns.

I have to say, I am so excited about this giveaway. Not only is this the very first giveaway for AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns (so exciting!) but this yarn is absolutely amazing. What a way to kick things off!

Lion Brand Silk Twists Yarn is unbelievably soft but extremely durable. Frankly, I can’t stop reaching over and touching a skein during the day because it feels so good. This super bulky yarn is ideal for warm afghans, baby blankets and throws because it’s so heavy. On a cold night, you’ll want to curl up with an afghan made of Lion Brand Silky Twist Yarn. Boucle yarn can be tough to use, especially if you don’t have a ton of crochet experience, but I can tell you that the overall look and feel of of the finished project greatly outweigh the extra time it may take.

Each yarn color is vibrant but not headache inducing. For example, you’ll find that the skein of blue yarn has shades of gray and green mixed in. Conversely, the brown yarn is a deep chocolate color that doesn’t mix in any other shades. It’s a great neutral that is soothing to look at. The texture and color of each skein of Lion Brand Silky Twist Yarn make it easy to match your new crochet projects to your overall decor.

Create something that looks and feels great. Curl up with this yarn and stay warm during the upcoming winter months.

Snow flakes are usually in order around the holiday season. The snowflake I am showing here will take a few days to complete from start to finish. It requires glue and glitter to turn the yarn into a hardened snowflake that can hang freely. It is beyond spectacular when you are done. These are very much in high demand for giving away as gifts. They are so unique to themselves.

After getting started on You Tube and realizing that I could teach… I really started to focus in on teaching tutorials for a complete aspect. In the beginning you would have noticed that there was no introductions to what I was doing. However, I still filmed a complete version on the inside tips on starting right from scratch.

After filming this version, this honed my skills when teaching people in person. What was shared during this tutorial would become a signature teaching milestone for me.

This video is viewed several hundred times per day with comments or emails generated from this one tutorial. It has been viewed over 229,000 times since it’s creation less than 2 years ago.

Without realizing how powerful this video would eventually become, this tutorial’s popular prompted a re-filming for better clarification on the getting started process. The re-filmed version also prompted the getting started process in many steps would included the basics of Chaining, Single Crochet, Half Double Crochet, Double Crochet, Triple Crochet and Granny Squares.

This website is stuffed full of flower patterns. Really exciting and bright colours.

The Crochet Crowd viewers are raving about a new find online at Tipnut.com

I’ll be honest, the blog is really well laid out with invaluable close up pictures of how to make the flowers and adornments. The author has found great free links online that have paid extra attention to showing you how its done.

As the author states:

Use these little charmers to embellish totes, bags, hats, headbands and whatever else you like. They can be made with cotton yarn, wool, crochet cotton and even embroidery thread. Lots of different styles and patterns to choose from in this collection, many including nicely detailed instructions. I’ll be adding more over time so you may want to bookmark this page for reference, enjoy!

Full Project Tutorials

Halloween Crafts for Kids: Pom Pom Spookers This post brought to you by Lady Lucas I make these adorable little critters every year around Halloween and they are loved by children of any age. You can use pom poms you make yourself with yarn, or make use of fluffy, store-bought ones! Place around the […]